Need advice

[PAJ1]

Wanting to get a hospital bed for my dad with PSP. Any suggestions on type? He is having hard time getting out of his double bed. Thinking hospital bed will make it easier for him to sit up and get out of bed. He does not sleep well at night. The more tired he is the more he falls. We live is US.

[easterncedar]

I don't have any good advice on the subject, I'm afraid. I got a simple bed rail that had an arm that slid under the mattress and feet on the floor, a simple thing from the medical supply store. It helped him stand, for some months. Other than that I did not modify his bed. Hospice supplied a hospital bed, fairly standard issue, and that might have been good to have earlier, although I don't think my guy would have liked it. Have you talked to your father's medical team (does he have help?) about this? Our physical and occupational therapists worked to help my guy get in and out of bed, and gave me good advice about assistive equipment. I hope you find something that works. Peace, ec

[PAJ1 in reply to easterncedar]

He has a bedrail like that but still hard for him.

[easterncedar in reply to PAJ1]

Yes, it wasn't a great solution long term. A hospital bed would be better, I think!

[honjen43]

I did the same as EC and got a bed rail. Had a wooden length that slid under the mattress and an upside down U that my love could hold on to to raise himself and get legs out of bed. A bit later when physios were involved, they supplied a 'monkey bar', a triangle bar on sturdy legs thst fit behind the bed that hung above his head so that he could grasp it to sit up. My husband thought this was a neat idea!

Both worked for as long as his back muscles worked. My husband had CBD and progress was fast.

In each case, the bed needed a firm mattress and to be at height that feet sit flat on the floor when he is sitting.

Once he was in hospital and had a hospital bed, he was already confused by gadgets so could not use on his own.

A hospital bed would be comfortable for him, and he is likely to need one at some stage. Talk to your physio team about help for your dad, and talk to him too. He might have some ideas.

Hope you find something that helps.

Hugs

Jen xxx

[Cjhorseygirl]

We started off with a bedrail for dad on a normal bed, but transitioned to a hospital bed at home. The head end would raise and it also had a ‘break’ for the legs to stop dad from sliding down the bed. It would also move up and down in its entirety which was a great help in preventing back issues for everyone caring for dad because he could be moved to their height without them bending down.

It had an airflow mattress which is supposed to help prevent bed sores. I have to say that between my mum’s excellent care and the mattress dad didn’t have any sores at all until the very few last days he was with us. He had lost so much weight, and I believe his skin had become so fragile from not being able to take any nutrition.

We also attached a bed rail to the end of the bed as when dad had more mobility he would try and get his legs out of the bed and this helped prevent it, otherwise he ended up manoeuvring himself onto the floor!

The make of the bed was Sidhil and it was electronic so had a remote control for the ‘moving parts’.

Hope this helps and you manage to get what you need for your dad.

CJ xx

[PAJ1 in reply to Cjhorseygirl]

Thanks! Things to consider that I had not thought about.

[abilitydesigns]

i purchased the brand "Arrex Canada ICU bed" along with an air mattress/pump for my mom. ( 3 function electric / remote control operated ) . But then i'm in India and not sure if it's available in USA.

It's very helpful in a home care setting since you can adjust the head section, mid section and the foot section of the hospital bed with a remote control.

You can use Google Advanced Search functionality [ google.com/advanced_search ] to find out great deals on those selling it on site like Craigslist.

On google.com/advanced_search put the following & hit the search button:

hospital bed in the field called "this exact word or phrase:"

craigslist.org in the field called "site or domain:"

language = english,

last update = within past week,

region = USA,

terms appearing in "Title of the page"

Here's a sample result i found:

google.com/search?as_q=&as_...

(you can change the settings on the Google Advanced Search page to suit your needs. This is one of the easy ways to find stuff you need.)

[Kevin_1]

Hi PAJ1

What country are you in please.

I have info only for he UK. Where you should be able to get one free.

Best

Kevin

[PAJ1 in reply to Kevin_1]

U.S.

[Yvonneandgeorge]

Yes we got one district nurse organised it xxxx